It Takes a Hollow
by WizMonCruWil
Summary: I wanted to re-work my post-AYITL fic that I have on my other channel! I came up with this idea. No music, but lots of fluff as well as some good comedy! It isn't complete yet, so give me suggestions on how to continue it. Key points that are AU: Tristan and Paris are married. And Logan has never visited Stars Hollow before. With that in mind, Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: You Need It, We Need You

**Chapter 1: You Need It, We Need You**

It was late at night when Rory Gilmore entered Number 37, Maple Street. The young journalist wiped at her eyes, trying to clear the last vestiges of her crying and tears. She had spent that afternoon and most of the evening wandering around the town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut in a fog. She knew she would have to face her parents sooner or later, and especially her mother, whom she had already told about her pregnancy.

As she came out of the foyer, Rory heard the voices of her mother and stepfather from the kitchen.

"I tried everything! My whole life I tried to prevent her from becoming me. And then she said... No..."

"There is nothing you could have done, Lorelai..." Luke comforted Rory's crying mother.

"I would have done anything! I would have turned back time if I could!" Lorelai seemed almost crazed in her intensity.

Rory gasped, backing away from the closed kitchen door. Her mother was deeply upset, as she suspected she would be. She had not exactly waited to find out her mother's reaction beyond the shock; Rory had run from the gazebo soon after saying those two little words. Well, really, there had been four words:

 _Mom?_

 _Yeah?_

 _... I'm pregnant._

Rory now ran again, up the stairs to her room. Thank goodness most of her things were still packed in boxes on the floor. Maybe late tonight, after her mom and Luke had gone to sleep, she could shuttle everything out to her car, one at a time and just go. The few things she had unpacked, she now threw into a suitcase retrieved from her closet. Pausing, she now looked down at her stomach, still not round or showing any signs of pregnancy yet, but that she still knew carried a baby within.

"It's better this way, little one."

* * *

To speed up the process, Rory decided to begin shuttling her stuff down as her parents stayed in the kitchen commiserating. The scheme worked, for at least the first four or five boxes. On Box #6, however, Rory snuck down the stairs to find Luke and Lorelai waiting at the bottom.

"And what do you think you are doing, young lady?" her stepfather asked.

Rory was careful in shaping her answer, trying to give her reasoning within it. "You and Mom just got married, Luke. I don't want to ruin that. I don't want the baby to ruin that."

Lorelai put a hand to her mouth and began to hysterically sob at the implications of what her daughter was saying: history was repeating itself. Rory was running away, just as she, Lorelai, had done more than 30 years before.

"You can turn right around and put that box upstairs, Rory. And get any of the others I know you've already put in your car."

Rory stood silently.

"So you are running away, then? Really? You're going to go wander off on your own and have some baby in the middle of nowhere?"

She was caught; she knew it, but that didn't stop Rory from trying to make them understand. "Luke..."

"Look, we have been through way too much together: you, and me, and your mom. OK? Look, I know this is not a perfect situation, and you've been struggling in your career, and... we've kept things like that from each other. You've kept things from me; you've kept things from your mom, and - I'll admit it - we've kept some things from you..."

"I believe that is the proper definition for secrets! Thanks for the obvious!" Rory said snidely, frustrated. Where on Earth was he going with this?

"Look, I am not... unhappy, OK? I am not... unsatisfied! Yes, I am unhappy about the timing of this baby. And Lord knows I'm unhappy with this guy who impregnated my daughter; I'm still searching the market for a good rope and a really sturdy tree! But this right here..." and he gestured around the room, between him, Rory and Lorelai "... is all I will _ever_ need. I never thought in my wildest dreams that we could become a family; that I would be allowed take care of you and your mom. But we did. And I can. And, young lady, if you think that everything would be better if you just walked out that door, hear this: There is _no one_ \- other than your mother - who will be more _here_ for you than _me_! I will _never_ abandon you! I will never _think_ of abandoning you! Or your baby! I will do whatever it takes to provide for my family! I'll do extra shifts at the diner. I'll... I'll come to the Gazette and deliver papers. I'll even work for your mom at the Inn if it means I can better take care of _you_!"

Rory shook her head. "You don't have to do that..."

"It's no big deal; I need some variety anyhow..."

"I don't need you to do that. Luke, you and Mom don't need me. I don't need to be an aggravation..."

"Yes, you _do_ need to be an aggravation! And we need _you_! I need _you_! Goddamn it, Rory! We have been through _so_ much! I mean... the three of us danced around each other year after year - well, it was mostly your mom and I doing the dancing, but still. I had to watch... every night... as you and Lorelai left the diner and had to go back to that godforsaken potting shed, still hungry and still cold and still poor, and there was _nothing_ more I could do about it! I had to watch you get your heart broken by that Dean... then there was... Tristan. My own nephew, for fuck's sake; that whole bit with Jess! I wanted to kill every last one of them! I would have, too - with my bare hands! I had to watch you drop out of Yale and it was awful, but still... we made it through all of that. I have only ever _lived_ for taking care of you and your mom; making sure that you were safe! I didn't spend _17 years of my life_ feeding you and Lorelai just to watch you walk off and starve to death while taking care of an infant! You can't leave... I mean... you just can't leave!"

Luke nearly fell over as Rory barreled into him. She burst into tears, burying her face into his shoulder. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Luke fiercely hugged her back.

"Do... do you really mean this? Or is this some sick joke we'll just laugh ourselves sick about later?" Rory sniffled.

"If it's a joke, it's on me, I guess! Because the words just keep coming out!... And I seem to mean them. Possibly more than I've ever meant anything. The truth is, Rory, your mom and I can't imagine this little house without you in it!"

Rory smiled through her tears. "It is little for the three of us, no question..."

"Not _too_ little," Luke assured her. "For three. Or four." He pulled her back so he could look her in the face before tentatively reaching out a hand. Understanding, Rory nodded her permission, watching as her stepfather placed his hand where her baby bump would be.

"You'll... you'll be here for me?" Rory whimpered.

Luke smiled. "Every step of the way. We promise."

* * *

 **A/N: Luke's speech is, of course, partially borrowed from his speech in the kitchen to Lorelai. I repurposed it as I was curious to see what he would say to Rory.**


	2. Chapter 2: Four Dudes and a Nursery

**Chapter 2: Four Dudes and a Nursery**

In between his hammering, Luke could hear his wife and stepdaughter giggling in the kitchen. He was glad that there was finally an acceptance, even happiness, over the situation that had fallen into all of their laps.

"Jess, pass me another nail, will ya?" His nephew, Jess Mariano, dutifully presented him with not just one nail, but the entire box. Luke chuckled. "Way to get out of doing something by going above and beyond!"

"I _am_ doing something!" Jess protested, gesturing to the stacks of papers and books he was poring over. Luke noticed the blueprint layout for a baby's crib - the crib he was now assembling. Another book lay open, flashing the title _Building Nurseries for Dummies_. "Are you sure Rory's not gonna come up here before we're done?"

"Positive. Your step-cousin's under strict orders not to enter this room until our say-so."

At the mention of his step-cousin, and remembering her predicament, Jess ground his teeth in rage. No longer did he hold any romantic feelings for Rory - he couldn't, with his uncle's marriage and Lorelai being his new aunt. But damn it if Jess still didn't love Rory, and wanted to protect her. "So who's the little dickwad who did this to her, anyway?"

"Logan Huntzberger," Luke drew out the name slowly, almost growled it - partially out of anger, and partially because he had a nail currently clenched in his teeth.

Jess suddenly giggled. "Excuse me? What was that name again?"

"Huntzberger?"

"Awwww, how cute! Did The Burger King have Rory buy him a Happy Meal after he fucked her?"

"Watch it - both your language and your jokes!" Luke reprimanded.

Jess shrugged. "I thought it was funny! Huntzberger, Burger King..." His voice trailed off as he noticed his uncle work. "I wouldn't put that nail there."

Luke tried again.

"Or there."

Another attempt.

"Hammer it down diagonally! So it gets the corner!"

"You do it, then, if you're so smart! I'm already halfway crawled under this thing!" Luke threw the hammer down and slid it across the floor to Jess. Jess got to his feet, accepted the nail from his uncle, and pounded it in carefully.

"Very impressive," Luke praised. "Like grandfather, like grandson. You know, you could have been a carpenter in another lifetime."

"Yeah, well, I prefer pounding away at a keyboard than a piece of wood," Jess admitted. "But this is for my..." he frowned. "... second step-cousin once removed? Is that right?"

"Hell if I know. Google it."

"I did. That's what it said. Then I tried to use Siri as a confirming opinion; she said 'Fuck if I know!'"

Luke laughed.

"Jess? Jess!" Lorelai's voice called up from the kitchen. "Your sandwich is ready!"

"I'll be right there, Aunt Lorelai!" Jess hollered back down.

"You'd better go get it," Luke advised. "Otherwise she or Rory will try and deliver it up here."

"Let them wait a minute. It's not like the food's gonna get stale."

A few minutes later, the door opened. Instinctively, Jess leapt for the thing and slammed it shut. "OK, OK, Rory, I'm getting my sandwich, but we told you - you can't come in here!"

"Ow! You bonked my nose!" came a very male voice from the other end.

Frowning, Jess opened the door to see Dean Forrester rubbing his schnowzzer. Beside him, Tristan Dugray was doubled over, laughing.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"To help you," Tristan smiled. By now, word had spread throughout the town that Rory was expecting. All of Stars Hollow had rallied, wanting to provide assistance however they could if it helped Rory, the pride and joy of their town.

Jess grinned back at Tristan, and ushered both men inside. "Well, if you're here, Dugray, Paris can't be far behind!"

"She's downstairs with Rory and Lorelai now. Girl talk. Plus, I thought she could give some family planning advice." In addition to being a teacher at Chilton, Paris Geller-Dugray ran her own counseling business for couples wanting to have children, discussing options such as surrogacy and adoption. She had even advised Luke and Lorelai once, when the couple was considering having their own child.

Finally having recovered from his smack in the face, Dean circled the construction site, examining the half-built crib. "What can we do?"

As if he had been waiting for the question, Jess shoved a paint roller and tray into Dean's hands. "You: start painting!"

Dean stared at the tray. "What if I run out? I don't know how to make _paint_!"

"You won't have to; I have a fresh can right over there!" Jess pointed into the corner, but otherwise ignored Dean's protests. He then tossed some books to Tristan. "And you: start reading!"

Tristan picked up the book at the top of the pile. " _What to Expect When You're Expecting_? Why couldn't I just watch the movie?"

"Because the movie took a hell of a lot of license! Now, come on; let's go!"

Grumbling about how he could always just ask Paris, Tristan sat cross-legged on the floor and began to read...

* * *

Every day for the next few weeks, it went like this. Dean, Tristan and Paris would show up at Number 37, Maple Street about mid-morning, and while the women chatted in the kitchen, the men continued to attack the baby's nursery.

At last, everything was ready. One winter day, when Rory was about two months along in her pregnancy, her parents, Paris and the boys were out with her on a brief walk through town. As the group turned onto Maple Street, Jess suddenly covered Rory's eyes with a blindfold.

Rory laughed. "What is this?"

"A surprise," Jess whispered in her ear. Paris and Lorelai each took one of Rory's hands and guided her down the street, then up the driveway, the men leading the way and chattering over one another excitedly.

"Hurry, Rory! You're just gonna love this new room!" Dean encouraged.

"Now this way, Rory! Now, wait'll you see what we've done!" Jess could hardly contain his excitement. "You just wait!"

They led Rory into the house and up the stairs. Luke opened the door to the nursery, everyone still all talking at once.

"We're here!" Tristan called.

"Can't she take off the blindfold now? Take off the blindfold, Aunt Lorelai!" Jess begged.

Lorelai and Paris removed the blindfold... and Rory gasped.

Everything had been perfected, down to the last detail. Luke had finally relented on installing that picture window, underneath of which sat a cushioned seat; the latter also doubled as a trunk. The walls were painted in a beautiful purple, for Rory knew that she was having a girl. A foldable changing table popped out of one of these walls ("That was my idea!" Tristan credited himself). There was an antique wooden wardrobe pushed against the wall opposite this; Ms. Kim had donated it for free, and it had taken Luke, Dean, Jess and Tristan together just to move it up the stairs and inside. In the center of it all, was the crib Luke and Jess had constructed, complete with a mobile.

One hand over her baby bump, Rory strolled through the room, examining every nook and cranny. The boys waited, both proudly and nervously, for her approval. At last, the mother-to-be stopped by the picture window, taking a special interest in the curtains framing it.

"What's wrong?" Jess asked.

"These curtains don't belong here..." Rory mused, but there was something up with her voice. Was she going to start crying?

"Why, they were from when you and your mom lived in the potting shed! We thought you'd like them!" Jess approached her tentatively. Rory spun around, blinking back tears.

"It's so wonderful, I don't deserve it! Ohhhh..." She embraced her step-cousin happily.


	3. Chapter 3: Four Dudes and a Baby Shower

**Chapter 3: Four Dudes and a Baby Shower**

Even after the nursery was complete, the boys continued to visit almost daily. Paris had to return to work at Chilton and her counseling practice after the Christmas holidays. But Dean, Jess and Tristan continued to assist however they could, and wherever they were needed. One day, the three were with Luke, Lorelai and Rory around the kitchen table. The task that day? Debating baby names.

"I still can't see why you shouldn't just name her Lorelai! It's in the family..." Dean shook his head.

"Because I want her to have her own identity, Dean!" Rory reminded him for probably the fourth time. "Besides, what could I shorten it down to? It's confusing enough between me and Mom; not to mention Great Grandma Trix..."

Tristan glanced up, brow furrowed, from where he had his head buried in a book. He peered over his reading glasses at Rory. "You could use Laureen as a nickname. It sounds a lot like Lorelai!"

"Or Lauren!" Jess added.

Luke shook his head. "Lauren's too common. She has to be unique..."

"Oh my God! That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Rory gasped, exasperated.

The argument was suddenly defused by the doorbell. "I'll get it," Luke grumbled, wanting to step away from the controversy. But as soon as he opened up, he wished he hadn't. Girlish squeals suddenly split the air.

"Hey, what's going on? Hey!" Luke cried out indignantly as a literal wave of squealing women swept him down the foyer and back into the kitchen.

"SURPRISE!" every single woman in Stars Hollow cried to Rory.

Grinning, Lorelai sprang into action, shoving her husband and the boys towards the door. "All of you, out! Out! This baby shower is for women only!" There was an instant uproar from the men, which she ignored, while behind her, the women fussed over a surprised Rory and patted her and soothingly spoke to her, as the expecting mother was ushered into the living room.

"Lorelai! What are we supposed to do?" Luke whined, as he and the other men tumbled onto the porch.

"Go shopping!" Lorelai gave him one of her sweetest smiles as she thrusted a laundry list of supplies into his hand. "You boys don't come back until you have it all!" She then slammed the door in their faces before anyone could answer.

* * *

Luke's truck was eerily quiet as the men drove into town. Jess was driving; Luke shotgun. Dean and Tristan were in the flatbed with the back window open. Luke had a permanent frown attached to his face. That conniving woman! Oh, how he let her manipulate him, and yet he loved her anyway!

Jess sighed. "You couldn't have at least _tried_ to watch for the signs?"

"I hate you," Luke snapped, only half in jest.

"Aunt Lorelai's not that hard to figure out! Even _I_ know when she's planning something!" Jess breathed heavily. "I'm gonna turn on the radio."

He flicked the dial only to hear some old British rock band.

 _"Slow ride... Take it easy! / Slow ride... take it easy!"_

Flick.

 _"Figaaaaaarroooooooo! / Figaro, figaro, figaroooooooo!"_

Another flick, Jess wincing as he did.

 _"There's a girl that's been on my mi-i-i-ind... all the time! / Su-su-Sussudio!"_

"Aww, hell, no!" Tristan hollered from the flatbed. Jesse obeyed with another flick.

 _"Let it go... Let it go! / Can't hold it back anymoooore..."_

"Oh, I love this song!" Jess brightened.

"TURN THE DAMN DIAL!" The rest of the truck chorused in unison. Jess quickly obeyed, nearly jumping out of his skin.

Jess finally pulled up to the Stars Hollow Pharmacy. As the men got out, Luke checked the list. "At least it's almost all one-stop-shopping, boys! We need baby powder... diapers..."

They went inside and split up. Dean quickly found the diapers, while Tristan recovered the baby powder. Luke and Jess stalked down another aisle, searching the racks.

"Tampons... tampons..." Jess muttered. "Oh, there they are!" He stopped, dismayed at all the choices filling shelf after shelf. "Which type does Rory want?"

Luke checked the list. "It doesn't say! Lorelai... goddamn it, woman! Which type do ya want?"

"Call and ask her!"

"She won't pick up; she's busy with Rory and the girls! Wouldn't be surprised if she's turned off her phone..."

Uncle and nephew looked at each other. "Should we just get all of them?" Jess wondered.

"Yeah, get 'em."


	4. Chapter 4: Logan and the Lynch Mob

**Chapter 4: Logan and the Lynch Mob**

Lorelai was rather shocked, but nevertheless amused when her husband returned with his truck's flatbed filled to the brim with tampons. Dean and Tristan had to be kicked off the ride, preferring instead to walk home.

As Rory's pregnancy progressed, she began working at her stepfather's diner to save up some income for when the baby was born. She mostly worked the cash register, took people's orders. Luke wouldn't let her anywhere near the kitchen; he was almost paranoid at the danger this exhausting environment and its work posed to his pregnant daughter. Rory thought his concern was very sweet. Her stepfather just brushed it off.

"You're carrying my grandchild. I'm supposed to be concerned."

One morning, Rory was taking breakfast orders when she suddenly felt bile rise in her throat. "Oh no... I'm sorry, Miss Patty! Excuse me!" She barely made it into the back kitchen and to the bathroom that lay in the rear, before the sound of loud retching could be heard. Luke sprang from the cash register.

"Caesar! Hold down the fort!" he ordered before going to check on his stepdaughter. From a table in the corner, Dean and Jess and Tristan all watched Luke's exit.

"How's she been, Jess? Is the morning sickness that bad?" Dean inquired.

"It comes and it goes. She wakes up ridiculously early most mornings and just stays bent over the toilet. Sits there for hours, sometimes!"

"It'll ebb. It has to," Tristan told his friend sympathetically.

Just then, the bell over the door tinkled, and an unfamiliar stranger with coifed blond hair entered the diner. The whole eatery fell silent. Hardly any outsiders passed through Luke's. When Rory's father, Christopher, had visited all those years ago, he had caused quite a stir.

The stranger took a seat at the bar counter. Caesar approached him. "What'll it be, stranger?"

"Oh, I'm not here for a meal. I'm looking for someone."

Dean, Tristan and Jess looked at each other. They had a hunch who the blondie was, but wanted to probe and find out. The other customers - mostly men on their lunch break - slowly approached the new lad and surrounded him as inconspicuously as they could.

"And who might that be, blonde boy?" Kirk asked, nonchalantly straddling a chair backwards and resting his arms on the headrest. His smile was almost sickly sweet.

"Rory Gilmore," the stranger grinned.

Everyone in the diner exchanged glances; some of them exchanged smirks.

"Ms. Gilmore is in a very delicate situation at the moment, and we don't taking kindly to strangers asking after her - especially male ones!" Taylor Doose, the elderly grocer explained.

"Why not?"

"She's spoken for."

"She _is_?" the stranger seemed to choke on his own tongue.

Doose let out a bark of laughter at the young man's terror. "Not in the way you're thinking, boy. Rory Gilmore's the pride and joy of this here town! Its princess, you might say!"

"And her mom's the queen!" Max Medina, Rory's former teacher added, as he sidled up onto the stool at the stranger's left. "Their story's part of town legend! Rory belongs to all of us; we each helped raise her, at one point or another!"

All of the men closed in around the young ruffian. Behind their smiles, there was a clear tension in the air, like a bow taut and ready to fire an arrow at any moment. The stranger, however, did not seem intimidated by this posse. He wasn't even fazed. He seemed rather amused by them all, in fact.

"Princess, eh? Well, you tell Ms. Gilmore that her prince, Logan Huntzberger, is here to see her!"

"Logan Huntzberger?!" The entire diner suddenly exploded into chaos as all the men launched themselves upon him. Voices called out suggestions over what should be the intruder's fate.

"Seize him!"

"Hang him!"

"Lynch him!"

"Away with him!"

"Run him out of town on a rail!"

"Let's string him up by that penis of his!" Jess bellowed. "How do you fancy that, _Burger King_? Take him down, boys!"

"No! Let him go!" cried one unidentifiable naysayer, but too late. There was a roar of approval at Jess's last suggestion, and the men were just about to drag Logan – shouting and kicking - from the diner, and hoist him up the town flagpole when Luke appeared from the back, hearing the commotion.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What is going on?!"

"It's him, Luke!" Caesar came running up to his boss. "The little bastard who impregnated our poor Rory!"

Luke felt his body tense with rage. He pushed through the crowd. "Let me through... let me through!" He finally came upon the first face he didn't recognize. Luke's face twisted in anger, and Logan winced.

"You..."

"Get your goons to let me go! I'm her boyfriend!"

"Yes... and I'm her father..." Luke spoke low, methodically. A pause, and then Luke suddenly hauled and punched Logan right in the face. He seized the young man by the shirt collar at his neck and pinned him to the window.

"You think it's funny, huh? Crawling in here on your white horse after you knocked up my daughter? Think you're real smug, real smart, don't ya, boy?"

Logan's eyes widened, and he shook his head frantically. "Knocked up? What are you talking about?"

"Daddy? Daddy! Logan?!" The crowd parted to find Rory staring at the sight in shock, having just returned from her throwing-up session. Her baby bump was there for all to see. When Logan spotted it, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"Oh no..."

"Luke, let him go! Please!"

There was a long tense moment of no motion. Finally, Luke did as his daughter asked, and set the boy down. Rory smiled and made to run into Logan's arms. "You came back!"

But Logan jumped back as if in fear of being burned. "Ace, I can't!"

Rory skidded to a stop, blinking. "Can't what?"

"Ace, I came to say goodbye. I'm sorry, I'm... I'm married now! To Odette. I expected you to at least understand, but I didn't expect _this_!" He gestured all about him: at Rory's pronounced stomach, at the men surrounding him and who still looked like they wanted to eat him as a snack.

Rory blinked back tears at the realization that Logan was married, but she squared her shoulders. "She doesn't have to know. We... we could keep it a secret! You could pay for child support; forward us cash when you can!"

But Logan shook his head. "No. I can't! If my parents knew, God forbid Odette..." He shook his head. "You've got to get rid of it, Ace. You've got to get rid of it!" And with that, he fled from the diner and out of Rory's life forever before anyone could stop him.

"Little S.O.B! Let's go after him!" Tristan screamed, but Taylor Doose held him back.

"Forget it, son. He's not worth it..."

There was a chorus of agreements.

"Yeah, good riddance!"

"Scumbag!"

"He's not good enough for Rory!"

Rory did not hear any of this as she collapsed into her stepfather's arms, sobbing into his shirtfront. "Luke... Luke..."

"I know, baby, I know. I'm sorry. Let it out..." Luke patted her hair and rubbed her back.

Suddenly, Rory swooned in Luke's arms. Her body pitched towards the floor, and Luke barely caught her.

"Rory! She's fainted!" Luke scooped Rory up in his arms, where she lay limp like a rag doll, before carrying her from the diner.

* * *

That night, back at Number 37 Maple, Luke and Lorelai gave Rory one last look from where she lay sleeping in her bed. Hopefully, she would regain consciousness in the morning. All that the couple could do was go to bed themselves, and think over how they were going to get their daughter to move past her abandonment at the hands of her baby's father...

* * *

 **A/N: So, what do you all think so far? I am kind of at a block here for where to go next. So review, and tell me where you think the future chapters should go! Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5: Grandpas and Nutella

**Chapter 5: Grandpas and Nutella**

"Wake up, Little Lorelai... wake up..."

Light began to pierce the darkness as Rory felt herself pulled from the netherworld. She felt something cool and wet seeping into her forehead.

"Rory? Come on, princess, open your eyes..."

Rory's eyes fluttered open to see Luke staring down at her, with a tender smile on his face that he reserved only for her.

Rory coughed. "Dad?"

"Oh, thank goodness!" Luke sighed in relief.

Rory sat up in bed; as she did so, a cool washcloth flopped into her lap. "How long was I out?"

"Almost a whole day. I had to carry you back from the diner; you slept through the night."

Rory smiled and gave Luke's hand a squeeze. "Thank you."

"Stop. No need. You're my daughter," and Luke felt a sense of giddy pride whenever he referred to Rory as his. "You're _mine_. I take care of my own."

Lorelai now sat on the other side of the bed. "Your father told me about Logan. I'm so sorry."

Rory nodded, but she didn't cry. By now, she had accepted her fate, even whilst unconscious. "You know something? I was more shocked by the lynch mob that was ready to do him in. The whole town was ready to bury him six feet under!"

"Should have, too," Luke grumbled. "Why did I only punch him in the face? I should have castrated the bastard!"

Rory giggled. "You're cute when you get all protective," she teased. "Your face scrunches up and your eyes get really intense."

Luke only cracked a smirk in reply. Rory made to stand. Lorelai took her one hand to help pull her off the bed. Rory stumbled a bit as she recovered her footing, and Luke instinctively moved to put an arm around her waist and steady her.

"Fine, I'm fine..." Rory tried to wave them off, even though she was most certainly not. "Can we just move a little faster..." They barely made it to the toilet. Luke held back Rory's hair as she hurled into the bowl. His heart ached; he hated to see her in any pain. His wife placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll go get something for her tummy downstairs."

"BLAHHHHH!" Between a particularly bad round of throw-up, Rory cracked a weak smile at Luke. "Not even breaking a sweat. You're gonna be a great grandfather, you know..."

Her mention of this reminded Luke of a conversation he wanted to have with her. "Rory?"

"Hmmmm?"

"When the baby's born... what will you have it call me?"

Rory blinked, as if it were obvious. "Grandpa. What else?"

"Not Grandpa Luke? Or something, you know... so there's no confusion..."

"Luke..."

"I just want to set some ground rules! And while we're on the subject... How do you feel about me calling you my daughter?"

Rory shook her head. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong with it. It's true."

"Rory..."

"Daddy:" and Rory made sure he looked her in the eyes. "Even if you hadn't married Mom, I would still consider you my father. You said so yourself that night - you fed me and Mom for years. You were always there for me when... Chris wasn't. You raised me. Yeah, you're technically my stepdad, and Chris's name is on my birth certificate, but you are the only father I've ever known. From now on, father, daughter - that's how we refer to each other. No one else is going to care; they know it's true anyway!"

Luke smiled at his... daughter. "I love you, you know."

"I know."

"I'm serious. You make it quite a competition with your mother."

"That she does," Lorelai entered the bathroom with some Tylenol, a big smile on her face. Kneeling down next to her husband, she rubbed Rory's back. "And when the little angel gets here - God help us all!"

"Don't you mean, 'God, help me?'" Luke grinned. "I'm the one who's gonna have all three of you wrapped around my little finger!"

Rory turned to him and batted her eyelashes at him. "Daddy, dear, can you get me some water from the sink, please?"

"See what I mean?" Luke laughed to Lorelai. "Those sapphire eyes are like the kiss of death!" And he dutifully rose to draw water from the sink.

* * *

5:30 in the morning. Luke felt somebody shaking him.

"Luke? Luke, wake up!"

Luke grunted to find his wife standing over him.

"Lorelai? Why aren't you in bed?"

"I just went to check on Rory. She's craving Nutella! And Fluffer marshmallow mix!"

Luke sat up. "We don't have either of those!"

"I know. That's what 'going to the store and getting some' usually means!"

"In the middle of the night?!"

"Please, Luke. Our daughter is _desperate_!" Lorelai smiled sweetly at him. "This was going to happen sometime - no matter if you had a fresh kid with me or not!"

Luke sighed. Grumbling half to himself, he threw on some jeans and shoes. "Tell Rory I'll be back soon, and to be patient! If she starts kicking up a fuss, she gets no sandwich!"

Luke drove down to Taylor Doose's. At this time of morning, some of the first folks were dragging themselves to work. He only had about an hour, hour and a half before he'd have to open up the diner. He plodded into the grocery store, giving Taylor something between a wave and a salute.

"Luke? What are you doing up this early?"

"Rory. Cravings." Luke said shortly, storming down aisle after aisle until he found the Nutella and Fluffer marshmallow whatever-it-was.

"And so it begins," Taylor smiled sympathetically. "You know it's the baby yearning for this and not Rory, right?"

"And I don't get it! How would a fetus know what Nutella even _is_?"

"Sometimes, it's better not to ask questions and just go with it, especially where those Gilmore girls are concerned," Taylor advised. "Now get home to them and start making that sandwich!"

Luke drove a little too quickly back to Maple Street. Bursting into the kitchen as quietly as he could, he proceeded to make multiple Nutella-Fluffer sandwiches for Rory. Three oughta do it! Going to her room, he found his daughter propped up in bed against pillows, rubbing her swelling stomach and watching the sun rise.

"Here. I made extra," he huffed. Rory sweetly kissed his cheek in gratitude.

"Grandpa's very devoted!" she spoke to The Bump. "Tell Grandpa thank you!" A moment of silence. Rory looked to Luke. "She says Thanks!"

Luke felt a smile just twitch his lips. "Darlin', you're gonna have to wait a long time before she answers back proper!"

And seeing Rory was well fed and comfortable, Luke left to go open the diner.


	6. Chapter 6: Pregnant Women Stick Together

**Chapter 6: Pregnant Gals Stick Together**

Stars Hollow was beautiful in the spring. Especially now, when Rory could stay home all day with her mom.

Rory was now on maternity leave from the _Stars Hollow Gazette_. And by order of her stepfather, she was now on leave from the Diner. On this particular day, Lorelai had taken a day off from the Independence Inn.

The two women now sat in the kitchen together, eating lunch. Rory rubbed her swelling stomach all the while. Suddenly, she winced. "Ow..."

Lorelai sat up straighter in your seat. "Honey? Are you OK?"

Rory nodded, laughing to herself now as the pain subsided. "She keeps kicking..."

Lorelai now spoke to The Bump. "Can you try to hold off, little one? Your Mommy's not a basketball court!" Rory cracked up at this. She now stared as her mother resumed her knitting.

"What are you making this time?"

"Booties," Lorelai shrugged. "Truth be told..." and she put down her tools and leaned towards Rory. "I've always wanted the chance to do this again. Have someone I could dress up and make clothes for."

"There's always Luke," Rory pointed out. "You could make him an overcoat or something."

"I said dress, Rory, not undress," Lorelai bantered back. Rory turned a faint shade of pink. "When you were little, I would stay up some nights in the potting shed and make clothes for you. Mia usually just gave me the materials - helped me stitch sometimes too, even. You and I didn't have a lot of money back then... so every little bit helped."

Rory reached out and squeezed her mom's hand as she noticed Lorelai getting emotional. "You were the _best_ mother. And you will be an _amazing_ Grandma."

Lorelai checked her watch. "Your father should be getting out on his lunch break soon. We could go meet him and then walk to the park, if you like."

Rory rose from her chair, carefully using the table to support herself. "I'd better. Nobody wants to stay cooped up here forever, and I'll be on bedrest soon enough."

* * *

Meeting Luke at the diner, the little family made their way across the town square, past the gazebo and to the park. Upon reaching the playground, Rory spotted a familiar face on a bench, watching three children play and run.

"Dean!"

Upon seeing Rory, Dean hopped up. "Need help?"

"I got it," Rory breathed deeply as she and her parents drew closer to the bench.

"Sit her down, Luke. She can have my place!"

As she lowered herself onto the bench, Rory noticed the pregnant woman right next to her, smiling sympathetically.

"Oh, Rory, this is my wife, Jenny," Dean introduced.

Jenny stuck out her hand with a welcoming smile. "Dean's told me quite a bit about you."

Rory flushed and laughed nervously. "All good things, I hope?"

"Nothing but the best." Jenny paused, looking past Rory to something happening on the playground. "Uh, oh. Grady? Honey, are you OK?"

"I've got him!" Dean said, hurrying off.

Luke placed a hand on Rory's shoulder. "Your mom and I are just going to take a stroll around the lake. We'll be back!" And they left Rory alone with Jenny.

The two woman sat in silence for a moment. Rory felt awkward, sitting in the immediate vicinity of her first love's wife. But Jenny did not seem bothered in the least, finally asking Rory, "When are you due?"

Rory smiled, despite herself. "July."

"September," Jenny commiserated, patting her own belly.

Rory looked to the playground beyond, where Dean was trying to corral three rambunctious children at once. "And you're on your fourth?" she asked in amazement.

"Dean's a great dad. Loves kids. He gets all camp-counselor with them, it's quite adorable!"

Rory felt a burning question building up inside her, which she finally set free. "Were you scared? When you had Grady?"

Jenny smiled in understanding. "I was _terrified_ ," she almost whispered. "But when it was all over... nothing else seemed to matter anymore, except the baby. You'll feel that, too, with your little one. Then, by the time Babies 2 and 3 came along, I was waving away those doctors with the ice chips. 'Boys and girls, please, I can do this myself!'"

She and Rory laughed. The young journalist felt a hand on her knee. "Dean raves about you. He hasn't held anything back. I know how much you helped him on his way when he was young, and I have to thank you for that. You're strong, and smart - insanely smart, from what he says!"

Rory looked away, embarrassed. "Thank you..."

"Relax, Rory. I know the past is in the past. If you need a friend, I'm here. Dean won't mind sharing me!"

Feeling better, Rory gave Jenny a side-hug. "Thank you, Jenny."

* * *

 **A/N: Obviously, I changed it up a little bit, placing Dean and his family in Stars Hollow instead of Pennsylvania!**


	7. Chapter 7: The Third Gilmore

**Chapter 7: The Third Gilmore**

Summer 2017 in Stars Hollow was one of the hottest on record. Lorelai kept the windows open throughout the house on Maple Street, while also pumping the AC. In her mind, air flow would be crucial as her daughter neared the end of her pregnancy.

Rory was now confined to the bed in her old room, watching the passerby walking along the street below from her window. She mostly watched TV now - some of the good shows. These days, she avoided watching the news, despite her journalistic urge.

When July 4th weekend rolled around, Rory had to practically kick both her parents out of the house so they could go enjoy the annual Stars Hollow Barbecue. Luke only relented after Rory promised to keep a phone in her hand at all times. Even then, though, he and Lorelai came back early from the party with leftovers.

The morning of July 17th, 2017 dawned like any other. It happened to be a Monday. Luke was at the diner. Lorelai had offered to call in sick at the Inn, but Rory did not want her to miss work so soon after getting a major holiday.

All alone in the house, Rory suddenly watched as a pool of water began to accumulate, soaking her mattress. She clutched at her stomach, the sudden pain ripping through her body. "Ahhhhhh!" She barely had enough strength to dial the Diner's number. Rory nearly cried when her stepfather's voice answered.

"Luke's Diner."

"Daddy! It's coming... help me!"

"Rory? Rory! I'm coming, sweetheart!" The receiver clicked.

Rory rolled onto her side, hands gripping her stomach as another contraction washed over her. She began to weep from the pain. "Hurry... please..."

There was a BANG from downstairs as the front door burst open, steady Thuds as at least multiple people took the stairs two at a time, voices calling her name. Moments later, Luke burst in with his wife close behind; he must have phoned her at the Inn.

"Lorelai, get the overnight bag!" Luke ordered. As Lorelai dove for the closet, he scooped his daughter up in his arms. "Hang on, princess..."

The three blasted heater-skelter out the door on Maple Street, bolting for Luke's truck. From next door, Babette watched the whole sight from binoculars. She had kept surveillance on the Gilmores the last few weeks or so, at Lorelai's urging, just in case anything happened. She now called to her husband:

"Morey! Start working the phones! It's time!"

Morey grabbed every phone that was in reach and was calling the whole town within minutes. "Stars Hollow Hospital, everyone! This is is not a drill!"

* * *

The truck had barely rolled to a stop before Luke was getting out and sprinting with Rory into Stars Hollow Hospital. Lorelai parked the vehicle and followed worriedly.

The nurses sprang into action, getting Rory on a gurney. Lorelai dove to her daughter's side before they could wheel her away.

"You can do this, baby. I love you! Mommy and Luke will be right here with you!"

Luke and Lorelai could not go back right away - not until the doctors gave the all-clear. Husband and wife sat in the waiting room, limbs bouncing and feet tapping anxiously as they waited. The silence was soon broken by a commotion, as what seemed like almost all of Stars Hollow attempted to cram into the waiting room. There was Caesar, Kirk, Taylor Doose, Miss Patty, Morey, Babette, Tristan and Paris... even Dean and Jenny with all three kids in tow. Emily Gilmore brought up the rear, having flown down the highway from Hartford after a panicked call from Lorelai. Jess leapt to his uncle's side. "Rory's in there? Why aren't you with her?"

"Have to wait for doctor's go-ahead," Luke groused, starting to get impatient. As if on cue, a nurse came in.

"Rory Gilmore?" She was floored when every single person in the room stood from chairs or the carpet. "Oh. Well, um... immediate family, then. You can be in the room with her." Luke, Lorelai and Jess made to go into the hall.

"Can anyone watch from the windows?" a voice suddenly called out. It sounded like Miss Patty.

Luke was about to snap that the birth of his grandchild was not some town spectacle, thank you very much, but paused at the hand Lorelai pressed to his arm.

"Dean?" Jenny asked gently to her husband. "Do you want to go in?"

Dean blinked in surprise. "Me? Why?"

"I had you with me. Rory doesn't have her baby's father. You might be the next closest thing," Jenny made it clear with her eyes that she was not uncomfortable with this arrangement at all.

Dean sighed. "Very well. But only if you come with me."

"We'll watch the younger kids, Dean!" Babette promised.

Dean nodded, and picked Grady up. "Let's go."

* * *

The delivery room was a cacophony of noise. Rory lay propped up against the pillows, grunting and screaming. Tears streamed down her face.

"I can't... have... this BABY!" she wailed.

"Yes, you can, Rory! You can do it!" Luke squeezed her hand. On her other side, Lorelai kissed her daughter's cheek.

"You are already doing so well... _so well_... I was worse with you, believe me!"

Rory flopped back into the pillows. Jess now cradled her head in his hands. He kissed her forehead. "Come on, cousin! You're so strong! Keep pushing!"

Emily, for her part, stayed stone still against the far wall, trying to remain composed at the sight of blood. She could get very queasy from nauseating sights like that.

From behind a glass paneled window, Dean looked to Jenny with a grimace. "You're sure you want to go through with this a fourth time?"

"Little too late now," Jenny shrugged.

"Daddy?" little Grady tugged at his father's shirt collar. "Who's that?"

"That's your Aunt Rory, son. She's having a baby, just like Mommy will soon!"

Hours passed like this. Finally, as dusk began to fall, Luke circled around to the back of the gurney. "Rory! You're almost there, princess! I can see her crowning! PUSH!"

Rory had an almighty scream wrenched from her throat as she heaved. With that, the baby slid out of her and wails split the air.

"Congratulations. It's a girl," the head doctor smiled. "Mr. Danes, would you like to cut the cord?"

But Lorelai was shocked to see her husband crying so hard, he could not even reach for the scissors now held out to him. Jess came to the rescue. "I got it!" He kissed his cousin's forehead with pride before circling around to accomplish the task. Emily, meanwhile, now finally lost it, bursting into tears and running up to embrace her granddaughter.

Through the haze, Rory saw the bundle of screaming new life being swaddled in a blanket. "L...Lo..."

"Luke, she's saying something!" Lorelai called. She squeezed Rory's hand. "What is it, sweets?"

"Lorelai... Lorelai Jean Gilmore..." Rory managed to name her little girl before passing out. Seeing this from the window, Dean began to panic. He grabbed Jenny's hand. "Come on!"

"Honey, it's against the rules..."

"To hell with the rules! Rory!"

The Forresters managed to force their way into the delivery room. "Is she...?"

"Fine. She's fine. Just passed out; she'll wake up soon," the doctor promised.

Dean tenderly pushed Rory's hair out of her sweaty forehead. He hated to see his dear friend in pain. "Good girl... Atta girl..."

* * *

Rory woke up a few minutes later to find a pink blanket nestled in her arms. Upon seeing her baby's eyes, she fell in love with her faster than she had with any of her boyfriends in her memory. She gently brushed a finger past the baby's nose.

"You said you weren't gonna name her Lorelai." Rory looked up to see Dean leaning against the wall, holding Grady in one arm and Jenny in the other.

Rory smiled wearily. "Yeah, well, old habits die hard, I guess." She paused, and then said: "Thank you for coming in."

"Wouldn't miss it," Jenny grinned genuinely.

"Does... does Grady want to have a look?" Rory offered.

Dean approached with his son.

"Auntie Rory?"

Rory blinked at Grady addressing her like this, before smiling. Auntie. She liked the sound of that. "Yes, pumpkin?"

"What is it?"

Rory chuckled. "It's a baby!" And the held the infant out to the little boy. "This is Laureen."

"Great nickname!" Dean laughed. "Wait until Tristan hears about this!"

Everyone in the operating room laughed.


	8. Chapter 8: Ballet of Pigs

**Chapter 8: Ballet of Pigs**

Inside the headquarters of the _Stars Hollow Gazette_ , Rory glanced at the clock. A few minutes to noon. She should probably pop over to Luke's right now to start her lunch-hour shift at the diner.

Standing from her desk, the young mother produced a bottle of milk and gave it to her 6-month-old daughter. "Come on, angel. Ready to go see Grandpa?"

Little Laureen gurgled in response.

Rory laughed. "All right, then. Let's go!"

Rory pushed the little stroller out onto the street, making her way down the sidewalk. As she went along, almost everyone she passed smiled at her, or tipped their hats; many people made cute little waves in Laureen's direction.

Working at her stepfather's diner during what would normally be her lunch hour was a small price to pay, if it meant saving up a little extra money. Rory and Laureen still lived with her parents on 37 Maple Street. Luke and Lorelai were generous enough to not ask for a single dollar of rent, but all the same, Rory wanted to save up for a house that she and Laureen could be in by themselves.

Rory now passed by Miss Patty's School of Ballet, where a class was just letting out. Upon seeing the mother and daughter, Miss Patty came up.

"Rory, dear! How's the little one?"

"Just wonderful, Miss Patty."

"Oh my goodness, look at those precious little legs! Those are dancer's legs; I can tell already!"

"I need a favor. I'm heading to Daddy's for my lunch shift. Could I leave Laureen with you just for an hour?"

"Of course, child. No need to hurry back!"

"Just bring her by the diner around 1. Thanks, Patty!" And Rory headed off for her shift.

* * *

Lunch hour was always crazy at the Diner. People getting their coffee or a full meal before returning to work. Amongst the customers, Rory saw her own mother, on break from the Inn. Mother and daughter embraced in greeting.

"Where's Laureen?"

"Miss Patty's got her; she doesn't have a class at the moment, and said she'd bring her here around 1."

"Good thinking. I don't want Laureen in this claustrophobic mess! It hasn't been this crowded in days!" Luke shook his head.

Smiling good-naturedly at his concern for his granddaughter, Rory suited up in her apron before taking over from Caesar at the cash register. Even after giving birth, Luke had insisted she keep away from the kitchen. "It's not that I don't think you can cook. You can - and much better than your mother! I just want you to be safe!" had been his explanation.

As the hour passed, every single person who came up to pay asked about Laureen. Or expressed how proud they were of her and of Rory. Rory would smile and thank them, dole out a few hugs.

The clock was now nearing 1 PM. The bell tinkled over the door, signaling a new customer... and Miss Patty came literally waltzing in, spinning Laureen in her arms as a dance partner. "Rory!" the ballet instructor cried out upon meeting her eyes. "She is a _natural_! You _must_ sign her up for dance lessons!"

"Thank you, Miss Patty, but..." Rory stared. "Where's Laureen's stroller?"

"Oh, Kirk has it!" Miss Patty brushed aside.

As if on cue, Kirk came huffing and puffing through the diner entrance, pushing Laureen's stroller... which now carried his adopted pet pig. Rory gasped and rushed to get the pig out.

"Kirk! You can't put the pig in Laureen's stroller!"

"Yeah, well, I got sick of carrying it; Miss Patty wanted to carry Laureen here. We passed each other on the street. Es post facto - there you go!" But he dutifully took the pig out, watching as Rory frantically began to spray Febreeze and disinfectant onto the seat.

Luke just shook his head. "Am I the only sane one left in this whole damn town?"


	9. Chapter 9: First Words and Groceries

**Chapter 9: First Words and Groceries**

It was a beautiful morning on Number 37, Maple Street. Summertime. Rory was at home for the weekend with her parents, feeding Laureen breakfast.

Laureen was a few weeks beyond her first birthday. The whole of Stars Hollow had thrown a big birthday bash for her in the square; Lorelai had set it up with some help from connections at the Inn.

Now, Rory was trying to get some oatmeal into her year-old daughter. "Come on, come on! Open wide for Mama!" Nothing. Rory frowned, getting another idea. "Eat up, sweetie! Say 'Mama'!"

"Blah, blah!"

Rory gasped, nearly dropping the spoon. "Oh my gosh! Dad, Mom, did you hear that? Her first word! Where's the baby book?" Rory scrambled for the book of Baby Firsts she had purchased at one of the convenience stores in town.

"Now, honey, I don't think that's a word..." Lorelai tried to explain delicately.

"Of course it is! 'Blah, blah'? It must be!" Rory shook her head as she made to write down the entry.

"Rory, maybe you should put it under the Baby's First Sound page," Luke suggested diplomatically.

"You're right!" Rory gasped. "I'm calling Jenny!" She dove for the phone and dialed the Forresters' number.

"Hello?"

"Jenny? It's Rory. Laureen just made her first sounds!"

"Oh my gosh, that's wonderful! Congratulations!"

"How's Winnie?"

"Burping up her breakfast at the moment. New babies are so hard..."

"... but we love them anyway!" Rory finished. "I've gotta go run an errand. Thanks for listening, girlfriend. Bye!" Placing Laureen in her stroller, and explaining how she had to run to the grocery store, Rory left.

* * *

Taylor Doose's was not that far a walk. And Rory needed her exercise anyway. Pushing Laureen's stroller through the sliding doors, she returned Taylor's friendly wave. Going aisle to aisle, she picked up some fruit, vegetables, making sure not to overload. She still had a budget, after all.

Taylor smiled as Rory approached the counter. "I remember when you were that small and Lorelai would bring you by. So many memories..."

Rory smiled at the elderly grocer. "Me too. Did you know Laureen made her first sounds today?"

"She did?" Taylor gasped. "Well, I think that calls for a treat!" Before Rory could protest, he took out a fruit and peeled it, before breaking off a slice and presenting it to Laureen with a bow. "Italian oranges. Delicious!"

Rory laughed as she paid and took her bags. "Thanks for the treat, Taylor! Bye!"


	10. Chapter 10: Friday Night Dinners

**Chapter 10: Friday Night Dinners**

The Jeep Wrangler pulled up to the immaculate Gilmore mansion. Rory hopped out first, before happily extracting Laureen from her booster seat. Cradling the infant in her arms, she followed Lorelai and Luke up the walk. Lorelai rang the doorbell.

Emily Gilmore, the family matriarch, answered almost immediately. "Lorelai! Rory!" She hugged each of them in turn, before allowing her son-in-law to give her a peck on the cheek. "Lucas..." She ushered them inside.

Luke whispered to his wife. "Are you ever going to get around to telling her not to call me 'Lucas'?"

"Nope," Lorelai smirked. Rory bit back a smile.

Friday night dinners were filled with wonderful discussion, as always. When Rory was growing up, or at least from the time she was 16, these weekly gatherings often devolved into passive-egressive arguments between her mother and grandmother. But several events had conspired in recent years (Laureen's birth being just one of them) that brought the family closer together. Emily and Lorelai bickered less often now.

"So, Rory," Emily smiled over her plate. "Are you still working at the _Gazette_?"

Rory nodded. "That's the plan for the foreseeable future, Grandma. Until I can buy a house."

"You could always go for a bigger paper here in Hartford; I still have a few connections. The pay would be higher, too. Though you would have to commute..."

"With what? I can't take Luke's truck that often. I appreciate it, Grandma, really, but I need to be closer to Laureen right now."

"Speaking of Laureen, have you thought about where to put her in school?"

"Mom," Lorelai spoke up. "She just turned 1."

"Well, there's no start limit for one's education! There is a daycare in Stars Hollow, is there not?"

"There is," Rory confirmed. "But they want the children to be at least 18 months or older. Besides, I'm fine with that; it'll give me more time with Laureen!"

Emily actually smiled in understanding. "And who wouldn't want that? Look how adorable she is!" Laureen, seeming to sense that the attention was all on her, bounced up and down in her highchair. "Yes, we were talking about you! Yes, we were!" Emily cooed in baby talk. She laughed at Laureen's little squeal. "Oh, Richard would have loved this..." her voice trailed off.

The table grew silent for a moment. Since Richard Gilmore's death almost three years before, Emily had slowly but surely found her way to peace with her husband's passing. Oh, there were still hard moments, like now, but they never lasted as long, nor appeared as much, anymore. In fact, Emily seemed to smile at something, remembering.

"He'd be playing with her on the floor of his study... You know, Rory, that's what he used to do with you, your first year when you and your mom stayed with us. He'd crawl right beside you on the floor... lay you on his chest..."

Rory smiled back, but her thoughts were elsewhere. Her grandfather's potent absence reminded her there was someone else who had not gotten to see Laureen.

But, unlike Richard, this someone still _could_...

* * *

"Thanks for dinner, Grandma!" Rory called as she and her parents left. She held up one of Laureen's chubby hands as she bounced the infant in her arms. "Rory, say goodbye to Great Mum-Mum!"

"Blah, blah," Laureen babbled.

Emily clapped her hands in delight, even as Rory told her "We're working on it," in regards to the talking.

As the quartet drove home, Rory spoke up from the backseat. "Daddy?"

"What's up, princess?"

"... Is it OK if I borrow the truck tomorrow? I want to take Laureen out for the day."

"Sure, little darlin'. Where to?"

Rory bit her lip. "Boston."

"Boston? Why Boston?"

"It's just... I have one more thing I have to do first." Meeting her mother's gaze through the rear-view mirror, Rory saw Lorelai's eyes soften in understanding, her smile warm.


	11. Chapter 11: Return of the Hayden Legend

**Chapter 11: Return of the Hayden Legend**

The drive from Stars Hollow to Boston took a little over two hours. After searching up the address, Rory had placed one phone call. She asked the person on the other end to meet her in the famous Public Garden.

Arriving with Laureen about mid-day, Rory strapped her daughter into the stroller and off they went towards the Garden entrance. At the front gate, Rory stopped.

Just in the distance, leaning against the famous central statue, there he stood: Christopher Hayden, her biological father. Though he had aged, he still had that same leather jacket, that same confident smile and swagger.

But when Christopher came up to embrace his daughter, he stopped dead in his tracks upon seeing Laureen. Rory gave a small smile. "Hi, Chr... Dad."

Christopher didn't speak for a long moment. His smile and confident swagger were gone. Finally, he croaked out, "Yours?"

Already blinking back tears, Rory nodded.

"When?"

"July 17th of last year."

"The father... is he..." Christopher peered at Rory's hands. "I don't see a ring on your finger..."

The tears now flooded down Rory's cheeks. "It was an accident; he was already engaged to someone else. Then, he got married... He knows, but..."

"He won't help? Or he can't?" As the operative term, _c_ _an't_ or _won't_ did not matter. Regardless, Christopher knew this position better than anyone. He sighed. "I'm sorry, Rory."

Rory shook her head. "It's not your fault."

"But isn't it? Parents pass down their behaviors to their children..." Rory took his hand before he could continue.

"I understand what you're trying to say. You don't have to. I forgave you a long time ago."

Christopher now blinked back tears of his own. "What's... what's her name?"

"Lorelai Jean Gilmore," Rory answered proudly. "But we just call her Laureen."

Christopher chuckled. "Again with the Lorelais!" The pair sat on the statue's base, Laureen's stroller between them. Rory unstrapped the infant.

"Would you like to hold her?" she smiled sweetly.

Christopher froze. "I can't," he answered weakly.

"Yes, you can," Rory encouraged, pressing Laureen into his arms. There was a tender silence as Christopher rocked his biological granddaughter. Rory let it hang in the air, enjoying the moment, before finally asking:

"How are Sherry? And Gigi?"

"They're... crazy..." Christopher laughed. "They're great." Another pause. "And... your mom?... Luke?"

Rory smiled. "They're happy."

Christopher sighed. "Good. At least it gives me peace of mind to know Luke will be a better grandfather than me..."

"That's not true!" Rory gasped in shock. She squeezed his hand. "You know how I feel about Luke. I consider him my dad. But... you're my dad, too. I share your blood. And right now... that's enough for me. You are still a part of my family." She let out a long breath. "And, as such, I came to tell you that you can visit Laureen anytime you like. Mom left the door wide open for you to come see me. I intend to do the same for your granddaughter."

Christopher sniffled, trying to wipe away the flowing tears before his daughter could see. "You're... you're too good to me, Rory. I'll come visit; I promise! Thank you. I just... thank you."

Rory smiled, before standing up and holding out her hand. "Want to take a stroll with us?"

Christopher took her hand, and Rory helped him strap Laureen back in. And together, biological father, biological daughter, and biological granddaughter set off into the gardens. Rory felt blessed to know all the people who would be around her - in Stars Hollow and beyond - to help raise Laureen, as they had for her mother Lorelai before her. She was no longer scared, for she had learned a valuable lesson. To raise any child, it did indeed take a village.

Or perhaps, in her case, a Hollow.


End file.
